Julian Herbage papers
Julian Herbage (1904-1976) was an English musicologist. He joined the music staff of the BBC in 1927, and soon proved an invaluable editor and investigator of source material; his work on the Foundling Hospital score of Messiah in 1935 brought about the work’s first broadcast in its original form. He took a leading part in programme planning for BBC concerts and for the annual Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. Herbage became assistant director of music at the BBC in 1940 but resigned in 1946 to work freelance, continuing to help plan and produce the Promende Concerts until 1961. He served on the Royal Philharmonic Society’s honorary management committee, 1940–71.
In 1944, while at the BBC, he instituted the first radio ‘Music Magazine’ in association with Anna Instone, whom he married that year and who later became BBC head of gramophone programmes. They remained joint editors of a programme broadcast every Sunday morning (except during the summer) for 29 years; from 1952 Herbage also introduced the programme. Herbage had a special interest in 17th- and 18th-century music, and prepared several editions, including one of Thomas Arne’s music for Milton’s Comus (Musica Britannica, iii, 1951); his compositions include an orchestral suite, The Humours of Bath.
Julian Herbage's papers relate mainly to Thomas Arne (1710-1778) and 18th century English opera and include extensive research notes, draft and unpublished writings and scripts of talks. These working papers relate to Arne’s life and his works, and also include an incomplete draft of Arne's will.
The collection also includes Herbage’s draft and printed programme notes, radio broadcast scripts and reports on Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. There are papers of The Henry Wood Concert Society from 1946 to 1966, including programmes, correspondence and minutes. Amongst the manuscript and printed music in the collection are autograph and copyist's manuscripts by E. J. Moeran and music by John Dunstable, Arnold Bax and Herbage himself.
The collection includes some papers of Anna Instone relating to her work with the BBC Home Service and Gramophone Programmes Department.
- For further details of these papers consult the online archive catalogue; collection reference JH.
- This collection is complemented by a gift of early printed editions of Arne's music by the late John A. Parkinson; for details of printed music by Arne held in the library collections consult the Library online catalogue.
Biography from Noël Goodwin: 'Herbage, Julian (Livingston-)', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 27 May 2004), http://www.grovemusic.com